It has been an object of recent research to provide an electronic camera which is practical for the consumer market. Such a camera must be relatively low in cost and small in size and must have an acceptable level of sensitivity and resolution. In addition, the electronic camera must store the image for readout either immediately or at a later time. Such a camera eliminates the inconvenience and expense of conventional film.
Most prior art electronic cameras have been designed for television or video use. Such cameras have resolutions of about 500 pixels across a frame which is below the resolution people expect in a still photograph. In addition, these cameras are extremely noisy. When this noise is averaged over several frames, as is the case with movie photography, it is acceptable. However, the noise level is unacceptable for a single frame. Recent electronic still cameras have low resolution, high price, or both.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel electronic camera tube.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a electronic camera tube utilizing an array of cells for storing a charge pattern representative of a light intensity pattern and a device associated with each of the cells for reading out the charge pattern.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a camera tube including an array of cells for storing a charge pattern representative of a light intensity pattern, each of the cells relying upon the generation and displacement of secondary electrons for accumulating an electrical charge.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an electronic camera tube including an array of cells for storing a charge pattern representative of a light intensity pattern wherein the charge pattern is read out perpendicular to the cell array.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an electronic camera tube including an array of cells for storing a charge pattern representative of a light intensity pattern and a tunneling device associated with each of the cells for injecting readout electrons representative of the cell charge through an evacuated cavity to a readout electrode.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an electronic camera tube having high sensitivity and high operating speed.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an electronic camera tube which is relatively small in size.
It is a further object of the present invention to provied a tunneling device wherein the voltage applied to a control electrode controls injection of electrons into an evaculated cavity.